Apparatus for preparing coffee substitutes



June 7, 1949. E. wl-:lssMAN APPARATUS FOR PREFARING COFFEE SUBSTITUTES Filed April' 26, 1944- Patented June 7, 1949 QFFICE APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COFFEEy SUBSTITUTES Eugene Weissman, Baltimore, Md.

Application April 26, 1944, Serial No. 532,921

3 Claims.

My invention refers to apparatuses for preparing 4coffee substitutes, and more particularly, to a type of device that is operated in conjunction with a coffee roasting device.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described, that will permit the saccharication, drying and roasting of the coffee substitute, in the form of grain or vegetable matter, while these substitutes absorb the aromatic organic gases resulting from reducing re actions within the coffee bean during the roasting process. This absorbing process is accomplished by leading the hot aromatic fumes through a tube from the roasting device to a container acting as a condenser, in which the substitute is arranged in trays, and cooling coils within the outer walls of the condenser have a tendency to reduce the temperature of the fumes or gases causing absorption.

The operation of the device will become more apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein the various parts constituting the device are indicated by character references in the form of numerals.

The character I shows a cylindrical condenser, consisting of an inner wall II and an outer wall I2, forming its sides, and an upper cover I3 and lower end I4, consisting of single plates forming its top and bottom.

The walls II and I2 are imperforate, and in order to coni-lne the hot vapors or fumes within the chamber formed `by wall II and positively preclude entrance thereof into the cooling chamber between walls II and I2, the upper ends of such walls are preferably sealed by the unitary plate connection I I", and the lower end plate I4 extends over the lower ends of both walls and has a uid-tight connection therewith.

There is a cooling coil I5 inserted between the Walls II and I2. This coil is provided with an inlet I6 and outlet I1 leading to the inside of the compressor.

The inner wall II has a plurality of inwardly extending trays I8 angularly disposed and provided with a central aperture I 9. These trays I8 are loosely inserted, and are employed for retaining the coffee substitute, such as grain, or vegetable particles.

A tube 20 leading from the roasting device 2|,

conveys the aromatic fumes from the roaster 2| into the condenser I' and a distributing plate 22 in the form of a baille having angularly disposed members extending downward and inward, distributing the fumes so that they pass over the coffee substitute on the trays I8 and permit them to be cooled by the coil I5 through the inner wall II of the condenser IIJ.

Obviously, the outer wall I2 of the condenser It! may be insulated as shown at 23 and the exhaust fumes are permitted to rise upward out of the condenser I0 through the tubular outlet 24 in the upper cover I3. The tube 24 is shown provided with a protective cap 25.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with the art that the device as shown provides a very inexpensive, yet efcient, means of utilizing the aromatic fumes from the roasting device and affords a means to have these fumes absorbed by the coffee substitute spread on the trays within the condenser.

The trays may be removed individually when the top cover is lifted, and they may be loaded and unloaded without any mechanical change in the device.

In the chosen embodiments of my invention, exemplied by the accompanying drawing, there is shown a specic construction of the device; however, there are many changes in the construction that may be made without effecting the efficiency and function of the device, and I reserve the right to make such changes Within the scope of the invention and the appendent claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to receive through Letters Patent from the United States is:

1. Apparatus for condensing the aromatic vapors generated in a coffee roaster and providing for the absorption thereof by a coffee substitute material; comprising a condenser in-cluding spaced inner and outer vertically disposed imperforate cylindrical walls, a plate secured to the lower ends of said walls and having a fluid-tight connection therewith and the upper ends of said walls having a uid-tight plate connection, a removable cover supported by the upper ends of said walls, a cooling coil disposed between said walls and having an inlet and an outlet extending through the outer wall, a plurality of material supporting trays disposed within the inner wall in superposed relation and each provided with a central aperture. a coffee vapor inlet tube extending through said bottom plate and terminating below the lowermost of said trays, and an exhaust tube extending through said cover.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said trays each includes a downwardly and inwardly directed frusta-conical bottom Wall, and said bottom wall merging into an upwardly and inwardly directed frusto-conical ange defining said aperture.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said apertures are concentric with said inner wall and are vertically alined, and wherein said vapor inlet and exhaust tubes are vertically alined cen.. trally of said apertures and said vapor inlet tube being provided with a baiile above its free end.

EUGENE WEISSMAN.

4 REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 40,037 Hoyt Sept. 22, 1863 43,354 Vogel June 28, 1864 284,922 .Stutzman Sept. 11, 1883 305,953 Neiman Sept. 30, 1884 640,161 Hesse Dec. 26, 1899 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,114 Great Britain May 14, 1881 15,810 Great Britain Oct. 8, 1889 307,591 Great Britain Mar. 14, 1929 

